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墨書 Inktalez
Five days remained until the one-month deadline given by Song Qianqiu. That night, Taihe Zhenren and Dongfang Yuqing had yet to return, and everyone waited until the early hours of the morning before finally falling asleep, a sense of foreboding lingering in their hearts.
"Father, I smell a strong scent of blood coming from the direction of the Imperial Capital," Guo Huaiyi said.
Thousands of miles away, the Imperial Capital and its surrounding cities had turned into a city of corpses, countless people dying tragically, rivers of blood flowing, and the air thick with Corpse Qi, mourning filling the land.
On the second morning, Dongfang Yuqing returned, covered in wounds, and informed us that Song Qianqiu had entered the Supreme Realm.
"Where is my master?" Iron Bull asked.
A corpse fell from the sky—a blood-soaked old Taoist with white hair, lying face up, motionless, already a cold body.
Song Qianqiu descended, flanked by Miao Guanyin and the White-Robed Old Scholar. With a smile on his face, Song Qianqiu said, "He is already dead. Did you think Righteousness Song could deal with me? What a delusion."
"Master!" Iron Bull rushed forward, embracing the now desiccated body of Taihe Zhenren, his eyes filled with grief and rage. "Song Qianqiu, I will kill you!"
Iron Bull laid Taihe Zhenren's body on the ground and let out a roar as he charged at Song Qianqiu.
Song Qianqiu stood with his hands behind his back and swept his folding fan. Iron Bull was immediately sent flying backward, stumbling to the ground. He got up again to charge but was called to stop by me.
"Iron Bull, don't be impulsive," I urged as I stepped forward.
"Song Qianqiu is already at the Supreme level. With Miao Guanyin and the White-Robed Old Scholar by his side, even without using the Great Wilderness Scripture, we are no match for them. The odds of winning this battle are slim," Guo Daozhen transmitted through thought to everyone.
There was an insurmountable chasm between the Tribulation Realm and Mahayana Realm; although there was a tenfold difference in power level, understanding of the Dao was on another level entirely. A single layer of difference could mean thousands of miles apart. In a battle between Mahayana and Supreme, victory was nearly impossible—especially since Song Qianqiu had two of the strongest Supremes and a Puppet on his side.
I looked at the arrogant Song Qianqiu and asked, "What exactly do you want to achieve?"
Song Qianqiu laughed heartily and said, "When I can look down upon all living beings from my high position, will you finally be able to put away your lofty airs and speak properly?"
"Everyone here has climbed up from the bottom, who has ever looked down on you?" I asked Song Qianqiu.
"What's the point of talking to someone like this? If it's a fight they want, then let’s fight. I'm not afraid!" Wudao replied.
Song Qianqiu said, "Your courage is commendable. I can give you an opportunity. There are five days left until the deadline. After five days, I will hold the Grand Ceremony of Fengshan at Mount Tai, and I want you to personally deliver Yang Hao's head to me."
Song Qianqiu then took out a vial from his pocket and tossed it to Guo Daozhen. He said, "Inside this vial are Bone-Eroding Pills. Each of you will take one, and those who do will become my subordinates. Every year, I will provide an antidote until you become Supreme and join me in researching The Path to Immortality. Otherwise, I will execute each of you in front of the Underworld Sect. Under the Great Wilderness Scripture, none of you can escape, especially you."
Song Qianqiu pointed at Yunxi behind me. Douding rushed over to Yunxi, glaring at Song Qianqiu with hatred and said, "If you have the guts, come at me!"
With a smile on his face, Song Qianqiu replied, "Yunxi, you've tried to kill me several times, yet I have no intention of killing you. Someone as merciful as I am is rare indeed. I want you to personally bring me Yang Hao's head."
Everyone fell silent. After Song Qianqiu finished speaking, he left with Miao Guanyin and the White-Robed Old Scholar.
"Yang Hao, I really don't understand why the Elder valued you so much back then. In front of me, you're not even worth calling trash," Song Qianqiu's words echoed in my mind.
Guo Daozhen squinted at Song Qianqiu's departing figure, his expression darkening. Suddenly crushing the vial in his hand, he turned and walked towards Qingliang Temple.
After we burned Taihe Zhenren's body to ashes, Yunxi approached me and said, "I'll help you back."
I silently followed Yunxi back to Qingliang Temple. Throughout this time, everyone remained quiet. Qingliang Temple was unusually peaceful.
No one wanted to kill me for survival; although no one wished to die, we were not cowards either. Yet no one knew how to deal with Song Qianqiu. Even when he was in the Mahayana Realm, he was invincible; despite our combined efforts, we could barely escape annihilation. Now that he had entered the Supreme Realm and mastered the Great Wilderness Scripture even further, time stood still under its influence—rendering any expert powerless.
When I first entered the Entrance to the Dao, my status was lowly and my strength inadequate. However, back then, if I wanted to kill someone, it didn't necessarily have to be resolved through brute force.
Now I had acquired countless treasures and cultivation methods. With my Ultimate Technique, I had become one of the most renowned figures in the Daoist Sect. My Evil Weapon could slay Supremes; with a single punch from Rift Path, I could easily crush strong opponents in the Mahayana Realm. Yet against Song Qianqiu, I found myself at a loss and felt a sense of helplessness rising within me.
The only opponent that Song Qianqiu feared was me because currently, only I could resist his Time Forbidden Technique—though I didn't know why that was the case either.
Years ago, the Grand Elder of the Azure Cloud Sect raised Song Qianqiu using methods meant for cultivating a Saint, but unexpectedly, he ended up nurturing a demon instead, ultimately dying at Song Qianqiu's hands. Back then, he intended to gift me the Tortoise Dan and teach me the Time Walk, an Ultimate Technique, which only fueled the suppressed rage of Song Qianqiu.
Sometimes, people are like this; they extend their tolerance to strangers while directing their anger towards those close to them. Tragedies often occur between those who are nearest.
Inside the room, Huzi slammed his palm down on the table, shattering it. "We have so many people here. Dongfang Yuqing has the Five Elements Sword Technique, Iron Bull has Chemical Martial Arts, Yunxi possesses Tai Xu Ling and Water Linglong, Zhou Manman wields Great Yan Zhou Jing, Guo Huaiyi has the Ghost Gate Secret Technique, and I have the Dragon God Technique and Blood River Map. Each one is an unparalleled Ultimate Technique of the Daoist Sect. Is there not one that can restrain Song Qianqiu and kill this bastard?!"
The techniques of the Daoist Sect have never been flawless; there are always relationships of mutual restraint among Ultimate Techniques. However, the Time Forbidden Technique is too heretical, which is why it has been deemed the first forbidden art since ancient times. Anyone discovered learning or creating this forbidden technique would be hunted down by all.
But often, by the time everyone realizes it, those who possess this forbidden technique have become unrestrainable. Either one must wait for those practicing the Time Forbidden Technique to die of old age or take advantage of a moment when they are lost in their practice or in a crisis to kill them—there is no other way; confronting them head-on leads only to death.
Yunxi said, "Back then, the Great Wilderness Scripture was discovered by Song Qianqiu in the Dunhuang Caves. The person who stored the Great Wilderness Scripture in the Buddha Cave must have been from the Buddhist Sect. Perhaps they have a way to restrain the Great Wilderness Scripture."
Guo Daozhen added, "The first generation of Zen Buddhism from the Buddhist Sect was Bodhidharma. Bodhidharma's Indestructible Golden Body is nearly immortal. He discovered someone practicing the Time Forbidden Technique and struck out because that person's intentions were impure. It’s likely that person hadn’t reached the Supreme Realm yet; I just don’t understand why Bodhidharma left behind the Great Wilderness Scripture instead of destroying it."
"Maybe Douding has a way?" Huzi asked.
Everyone turned to Douding, whose body contained generations of Zen Buddhism's Golden Body. Since ancient times, when a person dies, their soul dissipates; whether it’s Primordial Spirit or Dao Body, neither can remain long after physical death. Only Bodhidharma cultivated an indestructible Golden Body, and Douding retained some memories of his past life.
Douding shook his head, his expression somewhat guilty. I patted Douding's head and then returned to the Disciples' Quarters.
That night on Qingliang Mountain was unusually quiet. As I drifted in and out of sleep, I sensed movement beside me. Through my hazy vision, I saw a figure pass by my bed; then the bamboo door creaked open as the figure stepped outside.
Curious, I quietly got up and followed the shadow out.
Behind Qingliang Temple, voices emerged: "For these past few days, I've been observing whether there’s an inner dan within Bubble. Bubble is a longevity demon king and can consume thunder as food. However, it's too fat; my Dao Qi disappears upon entering its body. The only way to retrieve its demon dan to save Haozi is to kill it."
"Yeah," Huzi's voice responded. "After all, it's just a beast."
"But the boss will definitely blame us for this. Although Bubble is a demon beast, it’s quite intelligent," Iron Bull said from the shadows.
The bubble in Wu's arms was still sound asleep. Whenever Bubble slept, it always liked to burrow into my embrace. It was as if nothing could disturb it during sleep. After spending so much time with me, its body had grown significantly; what once fit in my hand like a White Mouse had now grown to the size of a cat.
Wu and Huzi exchanged glances. Wudao said, "A life must be sacrificed. It's better than letting Haozi and everyone else die together. Right now, only Haozi can stand against Song Qianqiu. If we can help him endure the punishment and step into the Supreme Realm, killing Song Qianqiu will be no problem."
Iron Bull hesitated, "I want to save the boss too, but Bubble is still sleeping. Killing it like this..."
Wudao interrupted, "I'm not going to kill it; I just want to take its inner core."
In the darkness, the three of them heard a noise and turned to look at me, expressionless. I slapped Wu across the face.
Wu was taken aback as I took the beast from his hands without saying a word and returned to the Disciples' Quarters.
Guo Huaiyi stood behind me and patted Wu on the shoulder, shaking his head before also returning inside.
Wu touched his face, his eyes red. He said, "The person Song Qianqiu wants to kill the most is you. Are you willing to let everyone die for a beast?"
I lay on the bed, holding the beast. The beast possessed the Holy Herb Garden and had long since become an immortal being. Its inner core surely had properties of longevity. If I consumed its inner core, perhaps it could rejuvenate me and bring me back to life. With my rate of progress, we only needed to hide for a year until I became Supreme, then we could kill Song Qianqiu.
But after spending so much time with the beast, I had come to regard it as family rather than just a spiritual pet. Even though it could be willful and often annoyed me, it depended on me so much that if it found out we were taking its inner core for my use, it would suffer more than death itself.
When it came to sacrifice, it was still just a creature that cried when hurt; how could it understand such extreme human actions?
When I woke up again, the beast was nuzzling my ear like a child trying to wake me up. I opened my eyes to see it pointing at a pile of Holy Medicine by the bed, urging me to refine all of them.
For some time now, the beast had been bringing strange Holy Medicines from the Holy Herb Garden for me to refine. Each one had different effects but proved useless; my Injury of the Dao had worsened significantly and was dragging me close to collapse. Consuming any materials or treasures did not help at all.
I shook my head at the beast, but it insisted that I refine all of these Holy Medicines. Reluctantly, I agreed and began refining each one.
At Qingliang Temple, Spirit Energy surged powerfully as potent Spirit Energy and medicinal fragrance wafted through the air from these Holy Medicines. Each plant was a treasure; just one could create a formidable being.
In the past, even the major sects rarely possessed a single stalk of Holy Medicine. Some sects had managed to keep one for a thousand years, which was already quite remarkable. Yet, even such a precious herb, when the Spirit Energy flowed into my Meridians, vanished like a stone sinking into the sea, especially when it poured into the wound of my Nascent Soul. In just an instant, it disappeared without a trace.
The beast observed my changes closely. Though saddened, it did not despair and continued to insist that I refine the Holy Medicine, hoping for a miracle to occur.
As the final ultimatum from Song Qianqiu approached, corpses littered the land of Huaxia. The sounds of battle echoed everywhere—people killing corpses, corpses killing people, and people becoming corpses.
During these days, I increasingly felt that even breathing was becoming difficult. My Nascent Soul had shrunk to the size of a fist, and my life flickered like a candle in the wind, ready to extinguish at any moment.
I often found myself sitting alone at the door or locking myself inside the house.
Everyone had been together during this time; Yunxi and Zhou Manman rarely came to see me. The moonlight shone brightly as voices drifted in from the neighboring room.
"How about we send Yang Hao's head to Song Qianqiu? This is currently our only option."
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